Research conducted by the Co-operative Insurance has revealed that the average British motorist is greener then you might think when it comes to choosing what car they drive. Its investigations have shown that Britain’s top ten best selling cars are far more ‘greener’ than headline grabbing ‘gas guzzlers’.

Topping the leader board with the lowest carbon emissions was the Ford Focus, which has now been given an eco friendly makeover. The Ford Focus Econetic has a CO2 output of 114 – one of the lowest CO2 emissions on the market.

The new Peugeot 207, which has the second lowest emissions, came seventh in the popularity stakes and the third most environmentally friendly car was the Vauxhall Corsa.

Taking the bottom three places on the leader board with the highest emissions and causing the most damage to the environment were the Vauxhall Vectra, closely followed by family favourite, the Volkswagon Passat. The Vauxhall Zafira took the last spot with a carbon dioxide emission level of 228 – double the CO2 emissions of the Ford Focus.

However owners of the Vauxhall Vectra, Volkswagon Passat and Vauxhall Zafira are still doing their bit for the environment compared to owners of some 4×4 models. The average CO2 emissions for a ‘gas guzzler’ like a Land Rover, Range Rover or a Hummer can be anything from 299 to 376. This illustrates the wide margin between an average family car that is making good strides to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and others which are not.